Tourists who plan to scale China Great Wall might be excited about the Mutianyu section's plan to open up an additional 500 meters in 2010.
"The main renovation and construction of the 502-m section is mostly complete now, but the monitoring system still needs to be installed," Yang Kaihuai, general manager of Mutianyu Great Wall Travel Service Corporate told the media.
"Based on the current progress, we are hopeful the section can open in 2010," he said. "But the timetable is subject to change," he added.
Located in Huairou district 70 km northeast of Beijing, the Mutianyu section of the Great Wall is considered as one of the best-preserved parts. First built in the 6th century and rebuilt in Ming dynasty (1368-1644), it has received large amount of international travelers including several foreign leaders such as former US President Bill Clinton and former British Prime Minister John Major.
Furthermore, this extension is supposed to be the first phase of a much larger renovation plan.
Jia Ruicheng, the chief engineer in charge of the project, said they hope to add another 2.4 km to the current 3 km in total.
"This 2.4-km stretch, which includes five new watchtowers, is more beautiful than the section already open to the public," said Jia.
After the suggested project is completed, Mutianyu's total length will reach 5.4 km - the longest of all publicly open sections of the Great Wall, Jia said.